The Half-Blood Princess
by Amy Sophiamehr
Summary: A series of stolen moments between the Potion Masters and a former pupil. SeverusXOC


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**_The Half-Blood Princess_**

**_By Amy Sophaimehr_**

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Disclaimer: With the exception of my OCs, everything belongs to the fabulous JK Rowling.

**_October 25th_****_ 1995_**

Estelle sat snuggling by the fire in her living room, a cup of cocoa steaming on the coffee table, her eye hungrily devouring the pages of the tattered Muggle novel.

_This violent oppression of spirits continued the whole evening. She was without any power; because she was without any desire of command over herself. The slightest mention of anything relating to Willoughby overpowered her in an instant; and though her family were most anxiously attentive to her comfort, it was impossible for them, if they spoke at all, to keep clear of every subject which her feelings connected with him…_

Suddenly, there was a delicate, but firm knock at her door. She looked at the clock. It was almost 11:00 pm. Who would be calling on her at this late hour? She quickly closed her book and rose from the couch.

"Who's there?" she called, edging closing to the door.

"It is I, Severus Snape," came an all-too-familiar, silky voice.

"Professor!" she said in alarm. She tried to flatten her unruly curls, but there was no time to freshen up. It may be an emergency. She paused, placing her palm on the door. "Wait a minute...if you are indeed Professor Snape, why did you give me dentation during the spring term of 1984?"

"Because you were brewing and distributing the Moonblood without the appropriate license," he answered.

Estelle sighed in relief and opened the door. There was her old Potions professor in all his gothic glory.

"Good evening, Miss Sinistra."

"Good evening, sir." She stepped aside as he stepped through the threshold. "Has something happened? Does someone need a potion? Am I needed for guard duty?"

"All is as it was, do not alarm yourself," he said. Estelle nodded and closed the door. In a sweeping motion he shed his traveling cloak and draped it over one of the spindly chairs by her kitchen.

"Forgive the state of my flat; I was not expecting company."

Snape surveyed her dwelling with feigned disinterest. It was small, but not cramp, an adequate apartment for a young professional like herself. No doubt she had taken it for its proximity to Diagon Alley. He turned back to look at her. She was garbed in a lumpy grey sweater and fluffy pajamas pants that were purple with snowflakes on them. The sight of her in such domesticity was…endearing.

"_Sense and Sensibility_, Miss Sinistra?"

"What?" She then remembered the book in her hand. "Oh! Yes, an old passion I share with my Muggle mother. Have you read it, sir?"

"Many years ago," he relied. "But I'm not here to swap literary drabble. I was intending to have this conversation with you after today's meeting, but you were quick to slip away from Grimmauld Place before I could extract myself from Black's infantile antics."

Estelle raised an eyebrow. "You don't have to rise to the bait, you know? Sirius's immaturity is to be expected; he's has not psychologically evolved beyond the time he was imprisoned. What's your excuse?"

It was testament to their strength of their familiarity that Snape only responded to this with narrowed eyes. "That is neither here, nor there. I came to speak to you about the little arrangements you made with Narcissa Malfoy."

"Yes?" she said, unconcerned. "Mrs. Malfoy has been a loyal patron of _Sephora's Boutique and Brewery_ for years now. This is not the first time I have brewed a potion especially for her."

"Ah, but she was not asking for her typical beauty potions, was she?"

Estelle cocked her head to the side, surveying her old Potions instructor with confusion. "Were you Confounded during today's meeting, sir? Yes, she approached me to make Felix Felicix. Offered me quite a sum for the potion itself and a bonus for my discretion."

"And you accepted," Snape stated.

"Of course I did! Dumbledore was rather pleased by the development. With so many Death Eaters still locked away in Azkaban, You-Know-Who will continue to rely heavily on the Malfoys for their power and connections. Having an extra pair of eyes on them is in the Order's best interests."

"What you did was foolhardy and reckless."

She blinked. "So _this_ is why I am to be interrupted from my nightly cocoa and book? To be scolded like a child? What, were there no students at Hogwarts skulking about after curfew for you to terrorize tonight?"

Snape ignored the last question. "Need I remind you that her husband is the most skilled caster of the Imperius Curse in the entirety of Britain."

"All the more reason why it was better to accept the offer of my own free will," Estelle fired back.

"You know nothing of espionage. What you have done has made you a liability, not an asset," Snape spat.

"That's for the vote of confidence," said Estelle coolly. "With all due respect, sir, I will defer to Dumbledore to decide what is and is not best for the Order. As of now, he wishes me to continue and strengthen my connection to Mrs. Malfoy."

"The fact that Dumbledore is using your blunder to his advantage now does not mean that he would have suggested it to begin with," said Snape, acid dripping from his voice.

"Come on, Professor! This is the one thing outside of Grimmauld Place that I've done, besides guard duty. "It's not like I'm doing the crazy stunts Dumbledore has Tonks doing…"

"Miss Tonks is a trained Auror. You, on the other hand…"

"I'm what?" Estelle demanded, her eyes flashing. "Just a junior potioneer in a shop? A frivolous bimbo who cares only for fashion and beauty potions?"

"Do not put words in my mouth, Estelle," said Snape in a soft, dangerous voice.

"But that's what you think!" she said. "Your face basically said as much when you saw me at my first meeting at Headquarters."

Snape took a step closer. He towered over her, but she did not back down.

"Your youth and inexperience are factors to consider, but I would give you this lecture even if you were forty. There is no need to compromise yourself unduly. If the Order needs information from the Malfoys, _I_ will see to it. And you will remember your place! You came into the Order as _my_ assistant to ensure that the Order has all the potions it needs to operate to its fullest capacity. _That_ is your role and you will not deviate from it again!"

"What of Hestia? She's a Healer, not a fighter, and still she's out there in the field!" Estelle argued.

"Miss Jones's desire's to gamble with her life is not my concern…"

"But mine is?"

"Yes!"

_"__Why?!"_

"This is why!"

He pushed her roughly into the back of the couch where she had been reading not twenty minutes before. Before she knew it, his lips had crashed down onto hers. She froze. The book fell from her hands with a loud 'thunk.' She wrapped her arms around his neck and pushed herself closer to him. She opened her mouth and his tongue immediately starting exploring hers.

"Mmmm…" was all she could moan. Was this really happening? The Potions Master, whom her little adolescent heart had coveted so long ago, was actually kissing her? She felt his hands slip under her sweater, leaving a trail of fire on the bare skin of her waist and back.

But then, all too soon, as if she had burned him, he stepped away. His eyes were wide.

"I…" He turned away from her. Sensing his intent to flee, Estelle's hand shot out like a viper and grasped his own.

"No, Severus! You are not running away again!"

She literally jumped into his arms, causing him to stagger a little under her weight. She kissed him with every ounce of passion she had, as if that alone could will him to stay. Catching himself, he lifted her in his arms. Estelle felt him walk around her living room, and then he deposited her on the couch, crawling on top of her.

"You are life itself…" he whispered. "Nothing can ever happen to you…nothing…"

"And how do you think I feel, with you constantly going back and forth between the Death Easters and the Order?" she asked.

A flicker of emotion passed over his eyes, thought she was unable to identify it. They continued to snog. Months of sexual tension had finally boiled over, though Estelle was glad that it had happened in the privacy of her home rather than the make-shift Potions lab at Grimmauld Place.

"Mmm…should we move this to the bedroom?" she asked.

His lip twitched. His eyes bore into hers.

"Estelle…" he breathed, and she relished her name on his lips. "I didn't mean…I truly only came to speak to you. I had no designs on…on…"

"On seducing me?" she finished with a cheeky grin. "Luckily for you, you do that simply by being. We can just cuddle, if you want, but I'm not letting you leave here tonight to fill your head with thoughts of self-deprecating regret."

He clambered off her as she stood up. She pulled his hand and led him to her bedroom. They indeed did nothing more than snog. Estelle was even able to coax himself out of his heavy robes. She sighed happily as her back came to rest snugly against his chest.

"I'm not giving up my 'side project' with Mrs. Malfoy," she warned. "But in the future I will consult you first if any similar opportunities present themselves."

Snape grunted in disapproval, but knew that this was the best he was going to get from her.

**_0o0o0_**

By the time she had woken up, he was gone. Not that she was surprised or offended. It was a weekday, after all; he probably had a morning class to teach. As she lifted her head from the pillow, she found a single black rose resting on her bedside table. It had a navy blue ribbon tied to its stem. She smiled.

Estelle made a quick trip to Grimmauld Place before work to check on the potions. After confirming each brew's progress, she walked to the desk that had once belonged to Orion Black. With a wave of her wand she conjured a thin, crystal vase filled with water and placed the rose inside.

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**Author's Note: And that's it! Let me know what you think!**


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